Two handymen arrested over fatal robbery of 80-year-old Yamaguchi sweets shop owner

YAMAGUCHI (TR) – Yamaguchi Prefectural Police have arrested two men in connection with the fatal robbery of an 80-year-old traditional sweets shop owner and the brutal assault of his wife in Mine City, reports Nippon News Network (Oct. 26).

Maki Okura, 27, and Kojiro Muraoka, 26, were handed over to prosecutors on suspicion of robbery and murder. Police have not disclosed whether the pair, who are former middle school classmates, have admitted to the allegations.

In August, the suspects allegedly broke into the home of Kazumasa Saito, a beloved local figure who ran a long-established wagashi (Japanese sweets) shop famous for its signature “Uichi Manju.”

Saito was beaten to death, while his wife, in her 70s, sustained severe injuries, including a fractured skull.

Maki Okura and Kojiro Muraoka are suspected in a fatal assault in Yamaguchi Prefecture in August (X)

“My mother has a frail, thin body”

The victims’ eldest son expressed his outrage over the sheer brutality of the attack.

“If you just hit and tie up an 80-year-old grandfather, that would be enough. Why finish him off?” the son said. “My mother has a frail, thin body, yet they struck her with enough force to cave in her head.”

Investigators revealed that both suspects operated independent handyman businesses. Residing in different cities — Okura in Hiroshima and Muraoka in Shunan, Yamaguchi — the two worked in a profession that frequently involves entering clients’ homes for tasks such as pest control.

Pension and earnings

At the crime scene, police noted that the property was not indiscriminately ransacked. Instead, the intruders seemingly bypassed general valuables and made off specifically with a safe.

According to Saito’s son, the safe contained his parents’ pension money as well as all of the shop’s cash earnings. He suggested his talkative father may have inadvertently leaked the safe’s existence to scammers posing as police officers over the phone.

“My father was a talker. You know how those scams go, where someone pretends to be a cop and asks if your money is safe? He might have told them, ‘I have a safe and I don’t use bank accounts, so it’s fine,’ leaking the information,” the son explained.

“Without hesitation”

Given the targeted nature of the crime, experts believe the suspects were acting on prior intelligence.

“They wouldn’t blindly commit a robbery without certain information,” said Tatsuyuki Narumi, a former detective with the Kanagawa Prefectural Police. “Based on the crime, it feels like they knew exactly where the safe was and went straight for it without hesitation.”

Narumi added that investigators must now determine whether the two men acted alone, received tips from a third-party informant, or were operating under the umbrella of a tokuryu syndicate — an anonymous ring whose members communicate via smartphone apps.

Published in Crime and News

The editorial team at The Tokyo Reporter brings the site's readership the latest news from the under side of Japan.

GMO refuses demands as hackers threaten data leak, ransomware attack at noon Tuesday GMO refuses demands as hackers threaten data leak, ransomware attack at noon Tuesday

Ex-Tokyo cop: Hand gesture by Roppongi hostess arrested in cocaine sting reveals gang ties Ex-Tokyo cop: Hand gesture by Roppongi hostess arrested in cocaine sting reveals gang ties

Man accused of killing 72-year-old restaurant owner with gardening shears Man accused of killing 72-year-old restaurant owner with gardening shears

Ex-cram school teacher arrested for filming naked boy at bathhouse; over 1,000 videos found Ex-cram school teacher arrested for filming naked boy at bathhouse; over 1,000 videos found

山口（TR）——据日本新闻网（10月26日）报道，山口县警方逮捕了两名男子，他们涉嫌在山口市抢劫并残忍殴打一名80岁传统点心店老板，导致其妻子死亡。

27岁的大仓真希和26岁的村冈浩二郎因涉嫌抢劫和谋杀被移交检方。警方尚未透露这对昔日的中学同学是否承认了指控。

据称，8 月份，嫌疑人闯入了深受当地居民爱戴的斋藤和正的家中，斋藤经营着一家历史悠久的和菓子（日本甜点）店，以其招牌产品“内市馒头”而闻名。

斋藤被殴打致死，而他70多岁的妻子则身受重伤，包括颅骨骨折。

大仓真希和村冈浩二郎涉嫌参与8月份在山口县发生的致命袭击事件（X）

“我母亲身体虚弱，很瘦。”

受害者的长子对袭击的残暴程度表达了愤怒。

“如果只是殴打并捆绑一位80岁的老爷爷，那就足够了。为什么要杀了他？”儿子说。“我母亲身体虚弱瘦弱，但他们下手那么重，把她的头都打凹了。”

调查人员透露，两名嫌疑人均经营独立的杂务服务公司。他们分别居住在广岛县大仓市和山口县周南市村冈市，两人从事的职业经常需要进入客户家中进行诸如害虫防治之类的工作。

养老金和收入

警方在犯罪现场注意到，这处房产并非遭到随意翻找。相反，入侵者似乎避开了其他贵重物品，而是专门偷走了一个保险箱。

据斋藤的儿子说，保险箱里装着他父母的养老金以及店铺所有的现金收入。他猜测，他那爱说话的父亲可能无意中向冒充警察的骗子透露了保险箱的存在。

“我父亲是个话痨。你知道那种骗局吗？有人假扮警察问你钱安全不安全？他可能会告诉他们，‘我有保险箱，而且我不使用银行账户，所以没问题’，从而泄露了信息，”儿子解释说。

“毫不犹豫”

鉴于犯罪的针对性，专家认为嫌疑人是根据事先掌握的情报行事的。

“他们不会在没有确切信息的情况下盲目抢劫，”神奈川县警察厅前刑警成海龙之说。“从犯罪现场来看，他们似乎非常清楚保险箱的位置，并且毫不犹豫地直奔目标。”

鸣海补充说，调查人员现在必须确定这两名男子是单独行动，还是从第三方线人那里获得了线索，或者是在“特龙”犯罪集团（一个成员通过智能手机应用程序进行交流的匿名犯罪团伙）的庇护下行动。

发表于“犯罪与新闻”栏目

《东京记者报》的编辑团队为网站读者带来来自日本阴暗面的最新消息。

周二中午，黑客威胁要泄露数据并发起勒索软件攻击，GMO拒绝了黑客的要求。

前东京警察：六本木夜总会女招待因涉嫌可卡因被捕，其手势暴露其与黑帮关系

男子被控用园艺剪刀杀害72岁餐馆老板

一名曾任补习班教师的男子因在澡堂偷拍裸体男孩被捕；警方发现超过1000段视频。